Israel releases speaker of Palestinian parliament

The Israeli authorities released the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr Aziz Dweik on Tuesday, after being imprisoned for 12 months in Ofer prison near Ramallah.

The Ofer Military Court, near Ramallah, recently sentenced the Palestinian Legislative Council speaker, Aziz Dweik, from Hebron, to 12 months in prison and a fine amounting to approximately $1,600.

The occupation forces had arrested Dweik at his home in Hebron in mid-June of 2014. This arrest was in the context of a large-scale arrest campaign that targeted many Hamas leaders and Hamas-linked members of the PLC.

There were 14 hearings held for his case, during which several charges were directed at him, including giving a speech during a mass rally in the West Bank several years ago.

It is worth noting that Dweik has been arrested and imprisoned in Israeli prisons several times. The total time he spent in prison amounts to 4 years. He suffers from a number of health problems, including high blood pressure and diabetes.